Competitive video game tournaments have grown exponentially in both prevalence and commercial popularity over the past decade. Previously, game franchises such as Madden and Halo received the most attention from the gaming community, but in recent years, that has shifted dramatically.

Human autonomy and social conscience go hand in glove. They drive one another. They are a tag team for impelling and inspiring a person to involve herself deeply as a civic or social entrepreneur, to undertake kinds of challenges that expand a person's imaginative, physical, existential bounds.

Being a professional gamer is a delicate balancing act. Being in the top skill bracket is merely a pre-requisite to earn the title "professional gamer." To be a successful professional gamer, you need to be a creative and strategic digital content producer.

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house. Not a creature was stirring. Not even a -- hold on. Those aren't reindeer we're hearing and definitely not mice. It's Mom, Dad and their offspring playing new games more than twice!

Military personnel must understand values all Americans share, but recognize how their responsibilities change with their oath. Every military initiative in the area of morals and ethics must be grounded in the core values that flow from that oath.

It is naïve to think we can talk about the forces shaping the socialization of boys and men (and girls and women) and not include a thoughtful discussion about the role of mega-popular video games like C.O.D.

Call of Duty, for instance, provides no deep choices surrounding violence. The player begins and ends as an agent of violence, reduced to literally nothing but the butt and muzzle of a gun. More complex games, however, can provide choices around violence.